Mop squeezing attachment for mop pails



Aug. 5, 1952 TWERDAHL' 2,605,492

MOP SQUEEZING ATTACHMENT FOR MOP FAILS Fi led Dec. 51 1946 2SHEETS-SHEET 1 INVENTOR.

1952 v E. A. TWERDAHL 2,605,492

M01? SQUEEZ ING ATTACHMENT FOR MOP FAILS Filed Dec'. 51, 1946 2SHEET$SHEET 2 IN VEN TOR.

of standard dimensions and is easy to. use.

Patented Aug. 5, 1952 MOP sooanznve ATTACHMENT FOR MOP ans Edward A.Twerdahl, Evanston, 11!.

Application December 31, 1946, Serial No. 719,601

The present invention relates to apparatus for mopping floors and thelike and more particularly to an improved attachment for a mop ,pailwhich may be used in combination'with a mop of improved construction toreduce the drudgery ordinarily attendant with this type of work.

Conventional mopping apparatus consists of a string mop and a water pailfor containing the mopping liquid, with no facilities being provided forwringing out the mop. This means that in using the apparatus the mopmust be wrung out by hand. Various crank operated wringing devicesusually. adapted for attachment to the mop pail,: have been developedand sold commercially to eliminate the hand wringing operation. However,all such devices as. well as hand wringing require that the mop userstoop over and either crank the wringing device or twist or squeeze themop during each mop wringing operation. Hence, conventional methods ofmop wringing are laborious and time consuming.

2 Claims. (Cl. 1'5260) It is an object of the present invention,therefore, to provide improved, simple and low cost mopping apparatus oflight easily portable conliquid. 7

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved mopsqueezing or wringing attachment of low cost construction which may beeasily and quickly attached to any mop pail The invention both as to itsorganization and method of operation, together with further'objects andadvantages thereof, will best be understood by reference tothe-following specification taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational perspective view of an improved mop squeezingattachment characterized by the features of the present invention asattached to a standard mop pail;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but illustrating the parts inchanged positions;

Fig. 3 is an elevational perspective view of the attachment whendetached from the pail; and

Fig. 4 is a view partially in section more clearly illustrating themanner in which the attachment may be detachably secured to the rimof apail.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to. Figs. 1 and 2thereof, the present improved mopping apparatus is there illustrated ascomprising a standard mop pail I0 and a mop structure of improvedconstruction indicated generally at I. In brief,,the pail IQ is in theform of an open top liquid container of generally round configurationhaving a beaded flange 12 around the rim thereof.

Preferably, the mop l l is of the improved form disclosed and claimed inapplicants copending application Serial No. 698,275, filed September 20,1946. In brief, it comprises a combination support and squeezing plate Hof rectangular configuration which is adapted to be mounted upon thethreaded end of a mop handle M by means of a threaded socket element Itrivet connected to the plate I3 at the upper side thereof. At itsunderside, the plate i3 is adapted to supp rt a mopping element. Itwhich preferably is of the synthetic or natural sponge type and may beof any reasonable thickness such, for example, as two inches. In orderto secure the mop element tothe plate I3,- this element is stitched,adhesivelybonded or otherwise secured to a flexible textile fabricbacking element having free end extensions lla and Ill), which areadapted to be wrapped around the front .and rear edges of the plate I3,and have eyelets respectivelyprovided therein at spaced pointstherealong. Laces I8 and IQ of the shoe string variety, appropriatelythreaded back and forth between these eyelets and having theirrespective ends tied together, may be employed to pull the fabricelement taut about the plate I3 and thus fixedly secure the moppingelement It to-this' plate. For the purpose of forcing the plate l3towardthe mop squeezing means described below, thereby to expunge cleaningliquid from the mopping element I6, a pair of raised steps 20 and 2| aremounted upon the plate 13 along the top side thereof. More specifically,thesesteps are of identical U- shaped configuration and each is providedwith laterally extending .leg ends rivet connected to the plate l3.Preferably, .the two steps are mounted to extend transversely of thelong side of the plate I3 and are spaced equidistant from the respectiveends thereof on opposite sides of the socket element I5.

I In accordance with the present invention, flat rectangular mopsqueezing meansindicated genplate |3 in squeezing the mopping element l6dry after each mopping operation, together with means in the form of aone-piece, resilient wire like element 23 for detachably mounting themop squeezing means upon the rim of the pail ID for pivotal movementabout one of the long edges thereof. More specifically, the mopsqueezing means 22' is in the form of a screen covered frame comprisedofa U-shaped member 24 having a cross rod 25 spot welded to theextremities of its legs 24a and 24b, and having the ends of its base 240detachably held in engagement with the rim of the pail H! by the element23' in the manner described below. As shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings,the cross rod 25 is adapted to en-- gage the rim of the pail ID at theends thereof when the frame is pivoted to its lowered mop squeezingposition and to this end is of greater length than the width of the pailrim at the points of engagement therewith. A heavy wire screen 26 coversthe area defined by the four secti'ons 24a, 24b, 24c and 25 of the frameto provide the mop squeezing surface. This screen is fixedly secured toall four sections of the frame as by soldering, welding or the like.Alternatively, the mop squeezing surface may be defined by cross rodsspanning the legs 24a. and'24b of the frame and spot welded to theselegs at spaced which the mop squeezing structure is formed,

this structure should have openings therethroug'h of sufiicient size topermit free liquid drainage into the pail |0.

Referring now more particularly to the construction of the supportingelement 23, this element is illustrated as comprising a U-shaped part 21adapted to be inserted into the pail l9 and having legs 28 and 29 whichterminate in clip portions 30 and 3|, respectively. These clip portionsare adapted clampingly to embrace the base 240 of the frame member 24-and the beaded rim l2 of a mop pail l0, thereby detachably to mount themop squeezing means upon the rim of the pail for pivotal movement aboutthe edge thereof defined by the base 240 of the frame member 24. Morespecifically, the clip portions 30' and 3| embrace the frame member24'at the corners thereof and have parts 32 and'33, respectively, at theends thereofwhich are looped back to engage theframe legs 24a and 24bintermediate the" ends of these legs and serve to bias the mop squeezingmeans to anon-covering position relative to the top of the pail, i; e.,to a position extending outward and away from the top of the pail.Preferably, the loop parts 32 and 33 en-' age the frame legs 24a and and24b, respectively, at the outer sides thereof, thereby to bias the clipportions 30 and 3| of the element 23 into the corners of the framemember 24', and are provided with intur'ned fingers 32a and 3311. whichextend under the frame'legs 24a andv 24b.

For the purpose of normally restrainingthe mop squeezing means in araised angular position relative to the pail top against the biasafforded by the loop parts 32 and; 33', Le, in thepositionillustrated'in Fig; 1 of the drawings, a flexible element 34 inthe form of a short length of small link chain is provided to connectthe base 23a of the element 23 with the screen 25.

Preferably the element 34 is connected to theinto the clip portions 30and 3| even'when theattachment is detached from a pail II). By so doing,the flexible element 34 and the biasing loops 32 and 33 serve to holdall parts of the attachment fully assembled in the manner bestillustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

With the components of the attachment fully assembled, the attachmentmay be mounted upon a mop pail H) of standard construction by insertingthe Ushaped part2! of the element 23 into the pail and pushing. down onthe clips 33 and 3| until these clips snap over the beaded rim I2 of thepail. As thus mounted upon the pail, the mop squeezing means is, throughthe action of the element 34 and the biasing loops 32 and 33, held in araised angular position relative to the pail top; i. e., in the positionshown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Thus the top of the pail is uncoveredsufficiently to permit the mop head to be readily inserted into andwithdrawn from the pail. Further, the mop squeezing means is sopositioned that the bail of the pail may readily be elevated to carrythe pail and attachment from place to place without the mop 'users handbumping against the cross rod 25.

In using the apparatus, the mop head is inserted through the open pailtop to submerge the same in the cleaning solution in the pail and isthen withdrawn'to carry out the desired mopping operation. Each time themopping element l6 becomes'filled'with soiled or dirty solution pickedup from the fioor being cleaned, the mop may be hand manipulated toposition the mopping element IE on the mop squeezing screen 26,following which the mop user may-push down on the mop head to pivot themop squeezing means 22' about the frame base 240 against the action ofthe biasing loops 32 and 33 until the cross rod 25 rests on the rim ofthe pail. With the mopping element l6 still positioned on top of thescreen 26 in the manner shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the user of themop may place one foot on the steps 23 and 2| and step down on these twosteps, thereby to force the plate |3 toward the screen 26, compress thesponge, and thus expunge the soiled or dirty cleaning solution from themopping element l6. As the liquid flows out of this element, it drainsthrough the openings in the screen back. into the pail. After themopping element is thus squeezed dry, the'mop may be lifted, permittingthe mop squeezing means 22 to spring back tozits elevated position,shown in. Fig. 1 of the drawings; under theinfiuence of the biasingloops 32 and 33, thereby to uncover the pail top sufiiciently to permitreinsertion of the mop head intothe pail.

From the foregoing explanation, it will .be understood. that the presentimproved mopping apparatus represents'a distinct advance in the art inthat it serves completely to obviate one of the foremost disadvantagesof. conventional mopping equipment. Thus it completely eliminates thenecessity for the mop user to stoopover, either for the purpose ofcarrying out. the mopping operation or for the purpose of squeezing outthe mopping element when this element becomes soaked with dirty liquid.Moreover, the structure of the attachment is simple in the extreme andall components thereof are capable of being manufactured and assembledthrough the use of low cost, high speed production methods. Further, theattachment is of very rugged construction such that it will withstandhard usage for an extended period of time.

While one embodiment of the invention has been described, it will beunderstood that various modifications may be made therein whichar-ewithin the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined in theappended claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe United States 1. A mop squeezing attachment for a mop pail,including flat mop squeezing means for at least partially covering theopen top of a mop pail comprising a frame including means supported fromsaid frame defining openings through which liquid squeezed from a mopmay drain into the pail, means for detachably mounting said mopsqueezing means upon the rim of a pail for pivotal movement relative tosaid pail and including a one-piece wire element having an intermediateportion thereof engageable with the inside of said pail and portionsadjacent each end thereof defining loops embracing a portion of saidframe and also engageable with the rim of said mop pail thereby toprovide a fixed pivot for said mop squeezing means when said attachmentis associated with said mop pail, the ends of said wire element definingresilient loops engaging said frame and biasing said mop squeezing meansabout said fixed pivot to a non-covering position relative t the pailtop, and a flexible element connecting said mop squeezing means and saidintermediate portion of said element to restrain said mop squeezingmeans in a raised angular position relative to the pail top, therebynormally to uncover the pail top suficiently to per mit insertion of amop head into the pail, said mop squeezing means being adapted forpivotal movement about said fixed pivot against the action of saidresilient loops to its lowered position at least partially covering thepail top, thereby to provide a mop squeezing surface through whichliquid squeezed from a mop may drain into the pail.

2. A mop squeezing attachment for a mop pail, comprising flat mopsqueezing means for at least partially covering the open top of a moppail and having openings therethrough through which liquid squeezed froma mop may drain into the pail, a one-piece resilient wire elementprovided with a U-shaped part adapted to be inserted into a pail toengage the inside thereof and extensions for detachably engaging the rimof a mop pail and defining a fixed pivot for said mop squeezing means,said wire element including clip portions adjacent the leg extremitiesof said U-shaped part clampingly embracing a portion of said mopsqueezing means to detachably mount said mop squeezing means upon therim of the pail for pivotal movement about said fixed pivot, said clipportions of said element having resilient loops at their extremities theends of which engage said mop squeezing means at points spaced from saidfixed pivot to bias said mop squeezing means to a non-covering positionrelative to said pail top, and a flexible element connecting said mopsqueezing means and said U-shaped part to restrain said mop squeezingmeans in a raised angular position relative to the pail top, therebynormally to uncover the pail top suificiently to.

permit insertion of a mop head into the pail, said mop squeezing meansbeing adapted for pivotal movement about said fixed pivot against theaction of said resilient means to its lowered position at leastpartially covering the pail top, thereby to provide a mop squeezingsurface through which liquid squeezed from a mop may drain into saidpail.

EDWARD A. TWERDAHL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patents UNITED STATES PATENTS

